Provided are systems and methods for treating recovered commercial solids and using the treated recovered commercial solids in well treatment fluids. More particularly, systems and methods are provided for chemically treating recovered commercial solids to remove contaminants and then recycling the recovered commercial solids by using them in a treatment fluid.
During the lifecycle of a well, various treatment fluids may be used to perform specific wellbore applications. For example, drilling fluids, completion fluids, stimulation fluids, fracturing fluids, etc. may all be used to perform various desired wellbore applications. Commercial solids may be used to adjust one or more properties of a treatment fluid so that the treatment fluid may be optimized for its respective application. Commercial solids are solid additives that are intentionally added to the treatment fluid to adjust one or more properties of the treatment fluid. This is in contrast with noncommercial solids, for example, drill cuttings within a drilling fluid, which are not intentionally added to the treatment fluid. An example of a commercial solid is a weighting agent. Weighting agents are solids with high specific gravities (e.g., >2.6) that are used to increase fluid density of a treatment fluid (i.e. intentionally adjusting the density property of the treatment fluid).
A drilling fluid is one type of treatment fluid which may contain commercial solids. During the drilling of a wellbore into a subterranean formation, a drilling fluid, also referred to as a drilling mud, may be continuously circulated from the surface down to the bottom of the wellbore being drilled and back to the surface again. The drilling fluid serves several functions, one of them being to transport wellbore cuttings up to the surface where they are separated from the drilling fluid. Another function of the drilling fluid is to provide hydrostatic pressure on the walls of the drilled wellbore so as to prevent wellbore collapse and the resulting influx of gas or liquid from the formations being drilled. It may be important to optimize a drilling fluid so that it can better perform its intended functions. One way in which the drilling fluid may be optimized is to add commercial solids capable of adjusting the properties of the drilling fluid to their desired state. Commercial solids, such as weighting agents, may be added to the drilling fluid to increase the density of the drilling fluid such that it may be able to move drill cuttings to the surface and/or maintain hydrostatic pressure in the wellbore.
After the treatment fluid has been used, (e.g., after drilling is completed with the drilling fluid), the treatment fluid may be disposed. The chosen disposal method may also dispose of any commercial solids used with the treatment fluid. Commercial solids may be expensive, and therefore disposing of the commercial solids alongside the treatment fluid, is wasteful. Recovery of the commercial solids may be possible; however, even if the commercial solids are recovered prior to disposal of the treatment fluid, the recovered commercial solids may not be fit for reuse in a treatment fluid. For example, the properties of the recovered commercial solids may have been altered by their use in a treatment fluid, making them unfit for their intended purpose (e.g., to adjust the properties of a treatment fluid). Additionally, the recovered commercial solids may be contaminated with contaminants from the wellbore or the treatment fluid which may adversely affect a different treatment fluid to which addition of the commercial solids is desired.
Typically, commercial solids are not recovered because there is no practical way to recycle them. A method of recycling commercial solids, may reduce well expenses, may reduce waste expenses, and may reduce the overall environmental impact of the wellbore operation.